Elevator gate system



Aug. 9, 1932. w. F. EAMES 1,870,772

ELEVATOR GATE 'SYSTEM Filed May 19. 1928 5 William F. Earnes.

ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 9, 1932 UNETE' 'rresrAraar WILLIAM F. EAMES, or wILKINsBUne, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIeNon .ro WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFAGTURING COMPANY, A oonroRArIoN or PENNSYLVANIA ELEVATOR GATE SYSTEM Application filed May 19, 1928. Serial No. 278,964.

My invention relates to control. systems for elevators and particularly to such systems of control as embody means for insuring the closing of the elevator gate under predeter- 5 mined conditions.

l-leyetofore it has been customary either to provide means for electrically interlocking the car gate and the car control system a through contact members on the gate, in such 10 manner that the gate must be closed before the car can be moved, or to omit the gate contact members and leave it to the judgment or" the attendant to close the gate when the number of passengers in the car is large enough 15 to make it dangerous to operate the car with the gate open.

Cllherefor'e, it is an object of my invention to provide a system that will permit the car gate to remain open during the operation of the car when only a few passengers are in the car but which will require the closing of the gate when the car is loaded with a sufiicient number of passengers to make it dangerous to operate it while the gate is open.

17 Another object of my invention is to provide means for insuring the closing of the car gate before the car is started if passengers are standing in the front part of the car near the gate opening.

-" It is also an object of my invention to provide a control system of the above-indicated character that shall be simple and efficient in operation and adapted for ready and economical installation and maintenance.

F or an illustration of one of the many forms my invention may take reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of the control circuits and apparatus, as applied to an elevator embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the elevator car floor intersected by a vertical plane. The left-hand side of the figure represents the front edge of the car floor and the righthand side the rear edge.

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing a different arrangement of the movable portion of the .fioor. V

In the drawing, I have illustrated an elevator car G as suspended by a cable Ca that passes over a hoisting drum D to a suitable counterweight W, in the customary manner. The hoisting drum 1) is directly coupled to an elevator motor EM which isillustrated as of the shunt-wound type having an armature EM and a separately excited'field winding The control for the elevator motor EM- is of the variable-voltage or Ward Leonard type wherein a driving motor M of the shunt wound type, comprising an armature M anda shunt field winding MF, has its armature M directly coupled to the armature G of a generator G. The generator G is of the vari-' able-voltage compound-wound type comprising the'armature G, a series winding GS]? and a shunt field winding GF. As shown, the armature G of the generator G is connected in loop circuit with the armature EM of the elevatormotor EM. 1 a

The shunt field winding EMF of the elevator motor EM may be excited from any suitable source of direct-current power and is shown as being connected directly across the power supply comprising the line conductors L1 and L2. The generator driving motor M is also connected across the same power source; however, control apparatus for the motor M is omitted for the sake of obtaining greater simplicity in the drawing.

The direction of operation of the elevator motor EM is controlled through'the agency of an up-direction switch 1 and down-direction switch 2, the functions of which are to supply the generator shunt field winding GE with current in opposite directions to cause the motor EM to move the elevator upwardly and downwardly, respectively.

The speed of the elevator motor is controlled through the agency of a speed relay 3, the function of which is to selectively include in circuit or exclude therefrom a resistor t that is associated with the generator shunt field winding GF.

The energization of the up-direction switch 1 and the down-direction switch 2 and the speed relay 3 is controlled by the operation of a suitable car switch CS mounted on the car C and operable by an attendant thereon.

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It will be observed that the car C is provided with a collapsible gate 5 that may be opened or closed by the attendant on the car.

Usually, when a large number of passengers get on the car, some of them will remain so near to the car entrance that it is dangerous to operate the car with the gate open, therefore, I have provided an electric interlocking system for interlocking the car gate with the car control system in such manner thatthecarcannot be operated with the gate open when it is crowded with passengers or when the passengers are crowded around the car gateway.

The interlocking means shown comprises a switch 6 operated by a movable floor 7 in the car, an interlocking relay 8 controlled by the switch 6 for opening the car-control circuit and a relay 9 controlled by a pair of contact members 10 on the car gate for restoring the car-control circuit and enabling the car to be started and operated when the car gate i closed.

In the present instance, the interlocking switch 6 for energizing the relay 8 is disposed; underneath the movable floor 7, that is pivotally mounted in the car, in such manner as to be closed to energize the relay 8 when the car is loaded with a suflicient number of passengers tocompress the movable floor or when some of passengers are standing just within the gate entrance- The movable floor may extend over the entire area or it may be limited to a section of floor near the gate- 1 way..

As shown, the floor is biased upwardly by a plurality of springs-11 which are designed to have suflicient strength to-keep the floor from being depressed enough to close the switch until the numberof passengers in the the switch: 6 may be closed by reason of the jerking of the car or the relative inertia of the car and the movable floor, even though there is not a sufiicient number of passengers in the car to warrant closing the gate. In order to prevent such an accidental closing of the switch 6', when the car is started oris running, from energizing the relay 8 and opening the control circuit, the circuit from the swit'chtothe relay is connectedthrough a pair of contact members 0 on each of the up and'the down direction switches 1 and 2. The contact members 0 are closed when the car is standing still by reason of the fact that the upand down-direction switches are deenergized" at that time. However, when the up and. down-direction switches are energized to. operatethe car, the contact members 6 a e opened, thereby opening the circuit from the switch 6 to the relay v8 and preventing that circuit from being completed to cnergize the relay 8 if the switch 6 happens to close while the car is running.

The operation of the system may be best understood from a description of the appa ratus and the circuits in connection with an assumed operation.

Assuming that the elevator car is standing at a floor levelfand takes on such a small num ber 01 passengers that they are standing well back from the gateway and it is safe to operate the car without closing the gate. This condition I refer to as a predetermined safe loading condition. The attendant may then start the car by moving the handle 12 of the car switch CS to the left, thereby completirg a circuit for energizing the rip-direction switch 1 which extends from the line conductor L1, through conductors 16 and 17, the contact members of relay 8, conductors 1S and 19, the fixed contact fingers and 21, a conductor 22, the coil of Lip-direction switch 1 and conductors 23, and 25, to supply conductor L2.

The Lip-direction switch 1 closes its con tact members a and 6, thus supplying the generator shunt field windirg GF with exciting current in one direction through a circuit which extends from the line conductor L1 through conductor 2?, resistor 4, conductor 28, the contact members Z) of up-d'rection switch 1. conductor 29, generator shunt field winding GF, conductor 30, the contact members a of the lip-direc ion switch 1 and conductor to the line conductor L2. The generator Gr, therefore, supplies current in the one direction to the elevator motor armature EM, causing the elevator motor EM to move the car upward.

As the care moves upwardly, the attendant, to increase its speed, moves the handle 12 farther to the left to engage the contact lingers 33, thereby completing a circuit for the speed relay 8 extending from line conductor L1 through conductors 16 and 17, the contact members of the interlocking relay 8, conductors 18 and 19, contact fingers 20 and 33, conductor 34:, the coil of speed relay 3 and conductors 35 and. 25 to line conductor L2.

The speed relay 3 operates to close its contact members, thereby shunting the resistor l from the generator field circuit and increasing the speed oithe generator G and, therefore, the motor EM. Inasmuch the updirection switch 1 is energized durin the up ward operation of the car, its contact members c are open and, therefore, the circuit for the interlocki g relay 8 is open and the relay cannot be operated even if the sw tch 6 is closed by sudden movement of thcar or by reason of the inertia of the load. on the car.

Assuming that the elevator ca is to be stopped at the next floor to take on more passengers, the attendant returns the car switch OS to its central position, as shown in the drawing, thereby deenergizing the generator shunt field winding GF and causing the gen erator G and the elevator motor EM to stop.

Assuming now that additional passengers get on the car at the second floor landing to such number that the car is crowded d it is dangerous to operate it with the gate open, then the weight of the passengers on the car floor overcomes the upward bias of the springs 11 and depresses the floor to such an extent that the interlocking switch 6 is closed and the relay 8 is energized to open the control circuit, thereby preventing the attendant from starting the car until the gate is closed. The circuit completed by the switch 6 for the relay 8 extends from supply conductor Ll, through conductors 16 and 36, the contact members of switch 6, conductor 37, the contact members 0 of rip-direction switch 1, the contact members c of down-direction switch 2, conductor 38, the coil of relay 8 and conductor 39, to line conductor L2. If the attendant has not realized that the car is loaded in such mannerthat itis dangerous to operate it with the open, he finds that he cannot start the car until the gate is closed.

Assuming now that the attendant closes the gate, then the engagement gate c member 10 energizes the relay 9 to restore ens control circuit for operating the car. The circuit for the restoring relay 9 extends from line conductor Ll, through conductors 16 a1 41, the gate contact members 10, conductor ithe coil of relay 9 and conductor 43, to line conductor L2. Thereupon, the attendant moves the handle 1 of the car switch GS to the left to start the car, thereby completing a circuit from line conductor L1, through conductors 16 and 45, the contact members of relay 9, conductors l6 and 19, contact 26 and 21, conductor 22, the coil of upmlirecti" switch 1 and conductors 23, 24: and 525, to lin conductor L2. After the car is started in thi manner, its speed may be increased or it me. be stopped, as hereinbei'ore described.

It will, therefore, be seen tnat l have provided an interlocking system that will insure the closing of the car gate any time that the car is loaded with such number of passen gers or when passengers are standing near the gateway as to make it dangerous to operate the car with the gate opened, and which will permit the car to be operated wien the car is so loaded ti at the passengers are not standing near the gateway.

The apparatus shown and described s illustrative only and the essential of my invention may embody many other forms. Th refore, I do not desire to be limited to t specific apparatus and circuits described, or:- cept as defineo in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an elevator the combination with a car, a gate for closing said car, amotor for operating said car, and a control circuit for said motor, of means responsive to the position or" said gate to prevent operation of the car with the gate open only upon the occurrence of predetermined loading conditions rendering such operation of the car unsafe, and means for rendering said first means ineffective whereby the car may be operated to carry passengers with the gate open While the load is in a predetermined saie position. 2. In anelevator, the combination with a car, a gate for closing said car, a motor for operating said car, and a control circuit for d motor, of load responsive means operable by a predetermined dangerous positioning of the load'on the fear for opening said control circuit, said means remaining unoperated to permit the operation of the car to carry passengers while the load is in a predetermined sate position, and means operable by the closing of the gate for restoring the control circuit. v

3. In an elevator, the combination with a car, a gate for closing said car, a motor for operating said car, and a control circuit for said motor, oi an elcctrores'ponsive device for opening the control circuit, a switch disposed to be operated by a predetermined danger. ous positioning of the load on the car for controlling said electroresponsive device to open the control circuit, a second electroresponsive device for restoring the control circuit, and means operable by the closing of said gate for controlling said second electroresponsive device to close the control circuit. i. In an elevator, the combination with a car, a gate for closing said car, a motor for operating said car, and a control circuitfor said motor, of means for interlocking said gate and said control circuit to prevent operation or" the car with the gate open when the load on the car has a predetermined position, and means for rendering said interlocking means inefiective while the car is running.

5. In an elevator, the combinationwith a car, a gate for closing said car, a motor for operating said car, and a control circuit for said motor, of an electroresponsive device for opening the control circuit,a circuit for said electror-esponsive device, means for closing the circuit for the electroresponsive device while the car is standing when the load on the car has a predetermined position, and means for maintaining the circuit for the electroresponsiv device an open conditionwhile the car isrunning.

6. In an elevator, the combination with a;

car, a gate for closing said car, a motor for operating said car, and a control circuit for said motor, of an interlocking 'electroresponsive device adapted when energized to open the control circuit, an energizing circuit for;

said interlocking electroresponsive device, means operable by a predetermined position- 0. of, and contacting means in said control c1ring of the load on the car for closing the ener gizing circuit for said electroresponsive device, a second electroresponsive device adapted when energized to rest-ore the control circuit, means operable by the closing of the gate for energizing the second electroresponsive device, andmeans for maintaining the circuit for the interlocking electroresponsive device in an open condition while the car is running.

7. In an elevator, the combination with a car, a gate for closing said car, a motor for operating said car, and a control circuit for said motor, of an interlocking electroresponsive device for opening the control circuit, means operable bya predetermined loading condition'on the car when he car is standing for energizing said interlocking electroresponsive device, a restoring electroresponsive device operable by the closing of the gate for restoring the control circuit, and means for preventing the operation of the interlocking electroresponsive device while the car is running.

8. In an elevator, the combination with a car having a gateway, a gate for closing said gateway, a motor for operating said car, and a control circuit for said motor, of means operably responsive to the gate and the load position on the car whereby the car may be operated to carry passengers with the gate open only while a predetermined positioning of the load prevails.

9. In an elevator, the combination with a car having a gateway, a gate for closing said gateway, a motor for operating said car, a control circuit for said motor, controlling means on the car by which an operator on the car is enabled to control the movements therecuitactuable to open or closed position in accordance with the position of the car gate, of

additional contact means whereby the control circuit is completed underpredetermined positioning of the load to permit the car to be operated to carry passengers with the car gate open. 7

10, In an elevator,'the combination with a car having a gateway, a gate for closing said gateway, a motor for operating said car, a control circuit for said motor, controlling means on the car by which an operator on the car is enabled to control the movements therea of, and contact means associated with the control circuit and actuable to circuit-opening or closing positions by the corresponding movements of the car gate, of additional contact means responsive to a predetermined positioning of the load for maintaining the controlcircuit closed when the car gate is opened, whereby the car may carry passengers with its gate open, said additional contact means being rendered ineffective to close the control circuit by certain unsafe loading conditions,

whereby the car can not be operated until its gate is closed.

11. In an elevator, the combination with a car having a gateway, a gate for closing said gateway, a motor forvoperating said car, a control circuit for said motor, and contact means connected into the control circuit and actuated by the car gate to open the control circuit when the gate is moved to its open position, of means to complete the control circuit and permit operation of the car to carry passengers with its gate open under predetermined positionin of the load.

12. In an elevator, the combination with a car having a gateway, agate for closing said gateway,'a motor for operating said car, a control circuit for said motor, and contact means connected into the control circuit and actuated by the car gate toopen the control circuit when the gate is moved to its open position, of means to complete the control circuit and permit operation of the car to carry passengers with its gate open under predetermined positioning of the load, and additional means for rendering said circuitc-ompleting means inefiective to complete the control circuit under certain unsafe loading conditions, whereby the car ate must be closed to permit operation of the car.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 11th day of May 1928.

WILLIAM F. EAMES. 

